>>1363503Mechatronics tech here,
(my bona-fides: been maintaining and repairing my own cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, appliances, etc, for decades, also have worked in electrical engineering and some mechanical engineering)
Allow me to point out the critical flaws in the design of that drivetrain, as innovative and unique as it is:
1. See that large bearing at the end of the driveshaft? That's a failure point, when that bearing wears out shifting will become sloppy, causing the cog array bolted to the hub to become very sloppy, perhaps even unable to shift or mesh properly.
2. See all those tiny sealed bearings arranged perpendicular to the driveshaft, that mesh with the teeth on the cogs? Massive failure point. All the power from the cranks as you pedal has to flow through those; when they wear (not if, but *when*) shifting will also become sloppy, they may not mesh properly anymore, and your cogs will start to wear unevenly. You'll have replace *all of them* at the same time. You'll also have to keep them and all the cogs absolutely clean all the time or dirt and grime from the road will work their way into the seals on all of them, acclerating wear, and any dirt and grime on the outer races of them will grind away at the races and the cogs. To make matters worse you need some lubrication on those to help prevent wear, and it'll have to be lube that sticks and doesn't fly off, which ironically will attract and hold dirt and grime.
3. You'll have to constantly clean this drivetrain to keep it from self-destructing. Pretty much after every ride you'll have to clean it and re-lube it to keep it all from self-destructing, and you'll have to do it by hand with a rag and a brush, any high-pressure water or solvent will work it's way into all those bearings, diluting and contaminating their lubricants, accelerating wear.
4. Finally, this being a totally unique design, you have exactly ONE source for your replacement parts, and they will be *expensive*.
